Beet-topping machine



J. DEVEY.

BEET TOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.18,1918.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

JOHN DEVEY, OF LEH I, UTAH.

BEET-TOPPING MAoHIiIE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Alig. 31, 1920.

Application'flled December 18, 1918. Serial No. 267,312.

invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Topping Machines;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification.

chines such as shown and described in my pending application Serial No.221,026 and particularly to the means for regulating the height of thecutting disk which severs the tops of the beets. The regulating meansdisclosed in my prior application, while perfectly satisfactory for thepurpose of regulating the height of the cutting disk when the machinemoves transversely of the row, has been found to be unsatisfactoryinseveral other particulars. The more noticeable defect is that when theroller is elevatedby coming in contact with an unusually large beet or abeetthat protrudes quite some distance from the ground, the cutting diskis" elevated the same distance as the roller, so that only a portion ofthe beet top isremoved. Another defect is that when the roller comes incontact with the beet whose body portion is a few inches out of thesoil, the beet is pushed over, this being particularly true when themachine is operating on beets growing in loose soil.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these defects byproviding means for regulating the height of the disk in such mannerthat the cutting disk is elevated only a portion of the distance thatthe regulating member iselevated so that practically all of the top ofthe beet is removed, the regulating member also being of such characterthat all possibility of pushing the beet over so that it will lie belowthe cutting disk. is eliminated.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement and combination of the partswhich will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

In vthe accompanying drawings, wherein is illustrated the preferred formof my invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation. some of the This invention relates to beettop ping maparts being shown in section, of a machine embodying thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the means rflork regulating the height ofthe cutting Referring to the drawings, the main frame I of the machineis composed primarily of upper and lower side members 2 and 1, each ofthe members 1 being offset inwardly at 1. and their forward end portionscarried forwardly as at 3, between which portions an ordinary tongue issecured in any suitable manner. Members 2 are secured at their frontends to members 1 and are supported at the rear ends by a brace or crossbar 4, the ends of which extend downwardly and are attached tomembers 1. A seat 5 is supported from cross bar 4 by a spring 6. Neartheir front ends members 1 are connect- .ed by a' brace 7 and adjacenttheir rear ends they are provided with the usual bearings for an axle 8,on the ends of which are mounted traction wheels 9.

A supplemental frame 10 is pivotally mounted on axle 8 at a point inrear of its longitudinal center, its forward end dipping or swingingdownwardly toward the ground.

Its rear end is provided with an extension 11 on which a counterbalance'12 is adjustably secured by a set screw 13 to permit the forward end ofthe frame to be more readily adjusted relatively to the ground.

A circular rotary cutting disk 14 is journaled on the front end of thesupplemental frame 10 by meansof a cap screw 15 in position to be at aninclination to the ground when the frame is in normal position, thefront portion of theperiphery or cutting edge of the disk, whichnormally severs the beet tops, being located at'a point in closeproximityto the ground and the sideportions, which sever the beet topswhen the machine moves transversely of the row of beets extendingupwardly therefrom. The disk receives'its rotary motion from a bevelgear 16 rigidly mounted on axle 8, by means of a shaft 17 which ismounted in the body portion 18 of the supplemental frame and 1s providedwith pinions 19-, 20, at-lts opposlte ends which are adapted to meshwith the beveled gear 16 on the axle and a circular extending arch barcomposed of two member 21, 22, members 21 being secured to the frame andmembers 22 secured to members 21 by a pivotal connection, this type of Kconnection being employed for a purpose which will presently appear.

Journaled in brackets 35 on the forward portion of the main, frame is atransverse 'shaft 23 on which are mounted a pair of sprockets 24 spacedtransversely of the shaft. Loosely mounted on said shaft and spacedtransversely of the. machine are two arms 25, the length of these armsbeing less than the distance between the cutting disk and the axle 8 fora purpose which will presently appear. The arms 25 are provided at theirfreeends with bearings for a shaft 26 which is adapted to support a pairof sprockets 27, similar to sprockets 24,

V in proximity to the cutting disk. These arms and sprockets constitutea belt frame .on which an endless belt 28 is carried, the belt beingdriven from axle 8 by any suitable mechanism, but preferably by asprocket chain 29 which passes over a sprocket gear 30 on the axle and asprocket gear 31 on shaft 23, the sprocket gear on shaft 23 being ofless diameter than that on the axle. With this arrangement of gearingthe belt will travel over the sprockets 30 at a greater rate of speedthan the speed of the machine so that the tops of the beets will begradually pushed down to the cutting disk, thus eliminating allpossibility-of pushing 35 tioned. The belt 28 may be of any suitableconstruction, but it preferably comprises 9 cross pieces 32 that arebowed outwardly transversely of the belt to compensate forirregularities in the ground when the maghine moves transversely of therow of eets.

Arms 25 are v connected intermediate their ends by the forwardlyextending arch members of the supplemental frame 10,'the arch membersnormally being attached to the arms at a point which will permit thebelt frame to assume a rearwardly inclined position with the reaF end ofbelt 28 resting on the ground and in the same horizontal plane as t eedge of the'cutting disk.- The rear lower end of the belt frame willremain in this position except when the belt comes in contact with abeet when it will, of-course,

be elevated. Owing to the difference in loverage of the supplementalframe and the arms 25, however, the cutting disk will not be raised ashigh as the rear end of the belt thus insuring the severance ofpractically all of the beet top. To permit the rear end a of the belt tobe adjusted vertically with respect to the cutting disk, the arms 25 areprovided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes 36, thuspermitting the arch members to be attached at any desired point in thelength of the arms.

the beets over, as heretofore men-.

While the machine illustrated and de-- scribed herein is adapted fortopping only a single row of beets, it will be understood that thepresent invention may-readily be utilized onmachines capable of toppingtwo or more rows without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a beet topping machine, the combination with the main frame, of avertically movable cutting disk, an elongated belt frame pivotallymounted adjacent one of its ends on the main frame with its opposite endin proximity to the surface of the ground, a traveling beltcarrie-d bythe. belt frame, and connections between the cutting disk and beltframe, whereby vertical movement of the belt frame will impart avertical movement to the cutting disk.

2. In a beet topping machine, the com- 5 bination with the main frame,of a cutting disk pivotally mounted on the main frame and adapted to bemoved in a vertical plane,

a belt frame pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis in the main frame,an endless belt movable on the belt frame adapted to engage the surfaceof the ground at a point -'remote from the pivotal point of the beltframe, thedistance between the ground engaging portion of the belt andthe pivotal point of the belt frame being-less than the distance betweenthe cutting disk and the pivotal point of the latter, and connectionsbetween the belt frame and the cutting disk whereby vertical movement ofthe belt frame will impart a vertical movement to thecutting disk. I

3 In a beet topping machine, the combination with the main frame, of acutting disk pivotally mounted on the main frame and adapted to be movedin a vertical plane, a belt frame pivotally mounted on a horizontalaxis'in the main frame, an endless belt movable on the belt frameadapted to engage the surface of the ground at a point remote from thepivotal point of the belt frame, the distance between the groundengaging portion of-the belt and the pivotal point of the belt framebeing less than the distance between the cutting disk and the pivotalpoint of the latter, connections between the belt frame and the cuttingdisk whereby vertical movement of the belt frame will impart a verticalmovement to the cutting disk, and means for moving the belt on the beltframe at a rate of speed in excess of the speed of travel of themachine.

4. In a beet topping machine, the combination with'the main frame havingtraction wheels mounted thereon, of a vertically movable v cutting disk,an elongated belt frame pivotally mounted adjacent one end with itsopposite end in proximity to the surface of the ground, a traveling beltcarried by said belt frame, connections be- -80 'whereby' verticalmovement of the belt frame will impart a vertical movement to thecutting disk, and connections between the traction'wheels and belt fordriving the latter at a greater rate of speed. than the machine. D

5. In abeet topping machine, the combination with the main frame, apivotally mounted supplemental frame adapted to be moved in a verticalplane, a cutting diskcarried by thesupplemental frame, abelt framepivotally mounted on the main frame, an endless belt'movable on the beltframe adapted to engage the surface of the ground at a point remote fromthe pivotal' point of the belt frame, the distance between the groundengaging portion of the belt and the pivotal point of the belt framebeing less than the distance between the cutting disk and the pivotalpoint of the supplemenal frame, and connections between the belt frameand supplemental frame whereby a vertical movement of the belt willimpart a vertical movement of less de-' gree to the supplemental frame,said connections between the belt frame and supplemental frame beingadjustable to regulate the extent of movement of the supplemental frameand cutting disk.

JOHN DEVEY.

